The push to forestall groups within the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class working two-driver line-ups from subsequent season seems to have failed.
A proposal to that impact put ahead by the WRT BMW squad has not met with favour from the opposite contributors and is more likely to be deserted.
The calls had been led by WRT boss Vincent Vosse in response to Cadillac’s determination to run solely two drivers within the six-hour races this 12 months, however he has conceded that the established order permitting groups and producers to determine whether or not to run two or three is more likely to be maintained.
It’s understood that there will probably be no change within the sporting guidelines with out the unanimous help of the groups.
“I’d be stunned if there’s a change,” Vosse informed Motorsport.com. “It appears that evidently many of the producers are towards imposing a brand new rule.”
The problems of mandating three-driver line-ups and the raft of rule adjustments it will require explains why the bulk seem like towards a shift.
In the intervening time there aren’t any drive-time rules in Hypercar and there’s additionally no provision for a group to appoint a reserve on a race weekend, even on the Le Mans 24 Hours.
#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Collection.R: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn
Photograph by: Andreas Beil
Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid stated: “It will create loads of complexity within the rules.
“We stock a spare driver at some races however not each one. Proper now if one in every of our drivers obtained sick we may make it via the weekend [with two].
“If we begin imposing three drivers it’s going to begin inflicting issues, significantly with occasion conflicts the place we will’t have a spare driver.
“Additionally these are sophisticated automobiles to drive, so that you don’t wish to be placing in drivers who’re under-prepared.
“I don’t prefer to throw across the S-word – security – however that is in all probability one thing that falls into that class.”
Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie offered an analogous argument for preserving the rules as they’re, stating that the French producer ran solely two drivers in every of its automobiles at Spa in Might when Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne had been on Components E responsibility in Berlin.
“The answer we present in Spa was an excellent compromise and we want to preserve the rules the identical,” he defined.
“In case you have three drivers and one thing occurs to 1 you possibly can at all times do the race with simply two. We’re pushing to maintain the foundations as they’re.”
#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Loic Duval
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Photos
Batti Pregliasco, group supervisor of the manufacturing facility AF Corse group, additionally stated that the foundations “must be stored as they’re”.
Additionally on the desk is a second proposal aligned to the one regarding two and three drivers.
This may contain stopping groups and producers from altering drivers over the course of the season, which may have a critical impression on these with drivers additionally competing within the FE world championship.
“It is very important go away the door open,” stated Pregliasco. “We’re pleased with our six drivers, however I perceive {that a} producer would possibly wish to usher in a reputation driver for Le Mans. Or maybe a driver would possibly lose efficiency over the season.”
Vosse argued that it must be mandated within the guidelines whether or not a group runs two or three drivers within the shorter WEC races as a result of utilizing two provides a transparent profit in these occasions.
“Two drivers clearly provides a bonus when it comes to monitor time and group technique, however we select to run three as a result of that’s what number of drivers you want for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the most important race of the 12 months,” he informed Motorsport.com in July.
“I would really like it to be clear within the guidelines what number of drivers it’s a must to run, whether or not that’s two or three.”
